I don't necessarily come from a martial arts background, nor am I currently practicing (due to lack of culture in my current location), but I took Judo courses while I was in Oregon. Each class had some form of meditation or Tai Chi to unwind at the end of practice, which was nice. It's all about understanding how to use your body efficiently so that even 150 lb women like me might be able to throw a 250+ lb man off his feet. I think it actually helped me a lot with my body mechanics and using leverage in my massages.

I wish I could find an instructor or a club here

"At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want."
Lao Tzu

Taoist wrote:I hadn't, thank you. That's a great link but still none in my area.

I know for a fact that NOT all clubs are listed on this website. If I were you I'd contact a few clubs that are closest to you and ask them if they know a club in your area, you know how it is, coaches always know other clubs, however small. Good luck.

Taoist wrote:I don't necessarily come from a martial arts background, nor am I currently practicing (due to lack of culture in my current location), but I took Judo courses while I was in Oregon. Each class had some form of meditation or Tai Chi to unwind at the end of practice, which was nice. It's all about understanding how to use your body efficiently so that even 150 lb women like me might be able to throw a 250+ lb man off his feet. I think it actually helped me a lot with my body mechanics and using leverage in my massages.

I wish I could find an instructor or a club here

A lot of Universities and Colleges have open Judo clubs, you should check them out.

TrPAssassin wrote:I've just been browsing through the forums and I've noticed something. It seems that a lot of practitioners out there either come from a martial arts background or are currently practicing one.

So what I'm wondering is: What martial art do you do if you do one, and how does it's principles or movements relate or help with your work as a manual therapist?

Me, I do MMA, but right now I'm just focusing on my BJJ and Boxing. BJJ is all about body mechanics and it translates well into what I do, and boxing is great cardio and shoulder strength.

Here's a snapshot of my martial arts experience. I've dabbled in some TKD & HKD recently, but am still "out of practice" until I can make regular practice times.http://cstminnesota.com/3.html#mma

My martial arts experiences helped me understand movement, balance, breathing, control, etc. reasonably well. It was also a great stress reliever. Even now, I am pretty relaxed most of the time because no one is trying to choke/knock me out.

Judo/Jujutsu/BJJ are the core of my martial arts background, but I have enjoyed everything so far. In bodywork, I have come to a new appreciation for the finetuned joint/tissue manipulation present in grappling arts, and I occasionally find myself modifying a grip or position for better mechanics based on the efficient movements and positioning I learned in those arts. I have even found that it is often possible to have a solid control contact without actually gripping the client with my hands, and that has lead me to some great energy-saving modifications of familiar massage techniques.

Now I have some old training partners trying to get me back on the mats. If I can adjust my sleep schedule a bit, I'll resume some MMA practice. These years of tissue manipulation and anatomical study towards eliminating pain has given me some ideas about how to reverse the process. I will suck when I first get back into action, but I plan to test a few ideas on willing victims.